644
STATE 01'' THE ANGLO-AMERICAN CHURCH.
flatter mys If that the prayers of our petition will be soon granted. Perhaps I should apologizefor this detail, in which I myself was so much concerned ; but, in truth, no better method occurredto me of conveying to you information of what I thought you were desirous to know ; and I claimno merit in doing what I always conceived to be my duty. Any of my brethren in my situationwould have done the same that I did—many of them, probably, much better.
All the Missionaries in the colonies first mentioned are resident on their respective Missions,although their churches are shut, except those that are now in England, and Mr. Walter, of Poston,who is here; also Mr. Cooke, who is chaplain to the Guards, and cannot get to Iris Mission, asthat part of the country is still in the hands of the rebels. I fear many of the Missionaries are dis-tressed for w ant of an opportunity to draw for their salaries, and I apprehend they have not yetr jeeived any benefit from the generous collection that was made for them in England. Dr. Chandlersome time since sent me a list of those Missionaries in New Jersey , New York and Connecticut ,that were to receive those benefactions, and the sum allotted to each ; desiring that I should givethem notice and inform them how to draw for the money. But I have not yet been able to giveintelligence of this to any except Messrs Seabury , 1 Bloomer and Cutting 2 all communication byletter with the rest being entirely cut off. Dr. Chandler also kindly informed me, that the Society transmitted a large sum to Boston , to pay the Missionaries in Massachusetts and New Hampshire ;
1 Samuel Seabury , D.D., first bishop of Conn , was born in New London in 1728, and graduated at Yale in 1751. At therequest of his father (originally a congregational minister, but afterwards rector of Hempstead, L. I.,) he was appointedas early as 1748 his assistant and catechist to the mission at a salary of ten pounds a year. In 1753, he was recommendedby the Rev. Mr. Wetmore, of Rye, for the vacant church of New Brunswick , N. J. , and with the sanction of the Soc. forProp, the Gosp. proceeded to England where he received orders, (n) He entered on the duties of his mission in May1754, and in 1757 was sent to Jamaica L. 1. Some of his letters, whilst stationed at this place, will be found in the presentVol. of the Doc. Hist, of N. Y. At the close of Dec. 1766, he was instituted, at his own request, rector of St. PetersChurch, Westchester , and at the breaking out of the revolutionary war adhered, with the majority of his brethren of theClergy, to the Royal cause. In April 1775, he signed the protest at White Plains in which he and others declared their“ honest abhorrence of all unlawful congresses and committees,V and determination “at the hazard of our lives andproperties to support the King and constitution.” Several pamphlets appeared about in tlie course of the same year infavour of the government; among others, some written under the character of A Farmer, which gave great offence tothe Sons of Liberty, and a party of whigs from Connecticut crossed over to Westchester county and seized the Rev.Mr. S. and other loyalists and carried them to New Haven . This invasion of the territory of New York , and violent re-moval of its citizens, called forth a strong remonstrance from the Prov. Congress to Gov. Trumbull, who demanded Mr. Seabury ’s “immediate discharge; the more especially as, considering his ecclesiastic character, which, perhaps, is vener-“ated by many friends to liberty, the severity that has been used towards him may be subject to misconstructions,“prejudicial to the common cause.” Mr. Seabury was accordingly set at liberty (b) and returned to his parish; but beingsubject to occasional visits from armed parties, who would offer 100 dollars for the discovery of “ that vilest of miscre-ants, A Farmer,” and Independence being declared, he considered it his most prudent course to close his church, “ asthere would be neither prayers nor sermon till he could pray for the King.” On the retreat of the American Army,after the battle of L. Island, Mr. S. withdrew within the British lines where (Hawkins says) he was very useful'toGen’l Clinton, whom he furnished with plans and maps of the roads and rivers in the county of Westchester whichcould not but be highly serviceable. He continued to reside in N. Y. until the peace, and served as chaplain of the King’sAmerican regiment commanded by Col. Fanning. He went to England in 1784 to obtain consecration, but meeting -withsome difficulties at the hands of the English dignitaries, he proceeded to Scotland where he was consecrated by some non-juring bishops. He discharged the duties of his high office in an exemplary manner for many years, and died Feb. 25, 1796,in the 63th year of his age. He was the first protestant bishop in these States.
2 Leonard Cutting was born in the vicinity of London in 1731, and educated at Eton and Cambridge. He came to Amer ica in 1750, and resided sometime at N. Brunswick, N. J. In 1756 he was appointed tutor and professor of classical litera-ture in King’s Coll., N. Y. , and in 1763, returned to England for ordination. In 1766 he became successor of the Rev. Mr. Seabury at Hempstead where he opened a classical school. Among his pupils may be mentioned the late Dr. S. L. Mitchell,Edw. Griswold, Esqr., and Dr. R. ICissam, of N. Y. In 1784 he resigned his charge at Hempstead, and went South. He diedrector of Newburn, N. C. in January, 1794; his widow died at Philadelphia , in 1803.
(a) Allen, and all writers after him who notice this divine, represent that he went to Scotland to study medicine, blit changed his purpose and tookorders. This is entirely contrary to Hawkins, who is the authority for the statement in the text, and is considered the most reliable.